Islamist terror group added to Egypt terror list

A Cairo criminal court added Islamist group Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya as well as 164 of its leaders and members to a list of terrorist entities, Egypt’s official gazette said.

The group waged a bloody campaign against Egypt’s security forces in the 1990s but later gave up violence and entered mainstream politics.

Previous rulings adding individuals to the terrorism list focussed on the Muslim Brotherhood, subject to a far-reaching crackdown since the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi was ousted as president in 2013.

In an October ruling, the Cairo court said following the 2011 uprising, “many leaders and members of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya renounced their previous initiatives to stop violence”, according to the official gazette.

Travel bans and asset freezes are automatically imposed on those on the terrorist list. Criminal court rulings can be appealed against at the court of cassation, Egypt’s highest court.